Poisoned Thorns
by sprite21
Summary: Wannabe breeder, Sora Itami, finally gets her chance to go on a journey when a certain coordinator unexpectedly appears. Will she find what she's looking for or will she just make his life a living hell? DrewXOc-ish. T for suggestive themes, and language.
1. Stranger in the Garden

_**XD Ah, man, I don't know, I'm just back in one of my obsessive pokemon fan phases. Who knows how long it will last; most likely at least a year considering my previous crazes. Anyways, here's something that just sort of formed in my head while reading other pokemon fan-fictions. ENJOY! XP**_

Chapter 1: Stranger in the Garden

The young girl chuckled softly as she sat in the large field, surrounded by all the pokemon. The gentle spring breeze ruffled the white bandana covering her short ruffled hair; her long side bangs swayed behind her.

"Sora!" came a sweet, rich voice from the cozy Victorian style chateau's front porch.

"Coming Mama!" Sora yelled back, waiving. She stroked the nearby Glaceon's fur as she stood up. She quickly dusted off the pale blue sundress and straightened the pale daisy yellow apron. "Sorry darlings, I have to get back to work," she said sweetly before running to the house to give her mother a big hug. "What is it, Mama?" she asked sweetly.

Her mother gave a hearty smile and wiped her hands on her own red apron. "Lunch is ready. Hurry up and eat and finish your chores. Then you can go back to the field," she replied.

Sora nodded. "Yes, Mama." She quickly went to the table and started to eat the sandwich.

"Sora, slow down! You'll get a stomach-ache that way!" Her mother scolded.

Sora swallowed and laughed sheepishly. "Sorry, Mama. I guess I'm just used to having my brothers around that's all…" she stopped and looked into the corner of the kitchen with a sigh. "It sure feels empty without them here. It's so quiet…"

Mama sat down and nodded. "Yep, I know what you mean. And with your father gone all the time with his research, that just makes us girls, huh baby?" she said with a sweet smile. "But don't worry about it. They'll be back for visits soon."

Sora nodded and took another bite of the sandwich but said nothing. Her mother sighed. "It's not just your brothers being gone is it?" Sora shook her head. "I know, you want to go on an adventure of your own, too."

Sora nodded. "Yes, but then who would be here to help you? You'd be here all by yourself and that's not fair," she quickly said before finishing her food. Her mom only chuckled.

"Now, you shouldn't be worrying about me. I can take care of myself. Now, hurry and get your chores done," her mother stated, scooting Sora out of the house.

Sora sighed and went to the shed to get the watering can for the front entry-way garden, passing the field of pokemon on her back. She smiled at the vaporeon at the edge of the fence. "Hi vaporeon. Do you want to help me in the garden today?" The vaporeon jumped over the fence on response. Sora giggled. "I take that's a yes!"

"Hello beautifuls!" Sora chimed. "Have you all had a nice day? You all look like you need a nice cold drink," Sora sang to the flowers. She hummed softly as she continued to water the plants.

"Phew! Almost done vaporeon, all that's left are my roses," she said sweetly. She always saved the roses for last. It was her favorite part of the garden. She remembered planting them herself and taking care of the beautiful white rose bush for all these years in her little corner of the garden. She hummed sweetly to the soft rose buds as she sprinkled the water. When she finished, she stopped momentarily when something blue caught her eye. It was a blue rose.

"That's odd…. We don't have any blue roses in the garden," Sora mumbled as she bent down to pick it up. Nestled in the undergrowth of the rose bushes was not a blue rose at all, but a sickly Roselia. Sora gently cradled her from her resting spot to get a better look.

"Poor thing, it looks exhausted. It feels a little warm, too. Come on, Vaporeon. We better take her back to Mama," Sora said as she hurried down the dirt walkway.

"Hm? Sora, what is it, baby?" her mother said when Sora walked in the door.

"I found this Roselia in the garden. It doesn't look to well," she replied simply.

"Oh, well here, let me have a look," she said coming over and taking the Roselia. "Hm, you're right, the Roselia has a fever. Must have been through a lot, whatever happened. Don't worry; a good long rest should do it some good," she replied, taking the Roselia and a cold wash cloth to the "nursing room" as they called it.

Sora sighed and petted Vaporeon's head gently. "Well, come on Vaporeon. I think I left the watering can in the garden."

As Sora approached the roses in the garden, she saw a strange person with green hair. She glared and crept silently, motioning for Vaporeon to be quiet, too. The person seemed to be looking for something.

She cleared her throat. "You know, trespassing is against the law."

The person jumped a little and turned slowly around, regaining their cool demeanor. The boy stood there a little stunned as he spotted the girl. She had a bit of a pout to her angry expression. Her dark chocolate brown hair was nearly black, but you could plainly see strands of copper red highlights in the setting sun as it swayed in the breeze. The darkness of her hair and her pale complexion only seemed to accentuate the blue-green eyes. She looked kind of cute with the simple blue sundress and yellow apron. But her long side bangs and white bandana reminded him of someone.

When the boy didn't answer, Sora began to grow impatient. "Well? Can I help you with something or should I call Officer Jenny?" Sora asked.

The boy gave a slight scowl but nodded. "I'm just looking for my pokemon. I thought it may have been attracted to your garden and came here," he said smoothly. He flicked his hair and gave a charming smirk. "I didn't mean to upset you."

Sora rolled her eyes and smoothed out her apron with the dress. "Mhm, that's nice," she stated boredly before crossing her arms. "Your pokemon wouldn't happen to be a Roselia by any chance?" she asked. He nodded and she sighed. "Come on," she said picking up the watering can and starting to walk away. She stopped and half way turned. "Oh, and by the way, you've got a little dirt right there," she said lightly scratching her cheek. "And there, and there, and there," she said rubbing a few other spots mockingly with a smirk before heading back to the house.

Before taking him to the house she quickly put away the watering can in the shed and bent down to stroke Vaporeon one more time. "Good girl. Now, go back to the field, ok?" she said sweetly and the Vaporeon obliged. Sora stood back up and gave a too sweet smile at Drew before going into the house.

"Hey, Mama? We have company!" Sora yelled.

Her mother came down the stairs and smiled. "Oh? And who might this young man be?"

"I think it's the Roselia's owner. I saw him poking around _my_ rose bushes," Sora replied. The boy couldn't help but notice the certain edge in her tone when she talked about the rose bushes.

He smiled charmingly at the mother. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, ma'am, but may I please see my Roselia?" he asked curtly. Sora's mother beamed and nodded with such delight.

"Of course you may, young man. I'll take you to the room. I don't know what happened but that Roselia sure has seemed to taken quite a toll. It has a mild fever but a good night's rest will help that nicely," the woman babbled as she led the boy up the stairs. Sora followed slowly behind.

The boy went straight to a chair by the bedside and sat down, looking at the sleeping Roselia. "Supper will be ready in a few minutes. We have plenty of extra rooms so just make yourself comfy." The boy mumbled a thanks as Sora's mother went back downstairs.

Sora leaned against the doorway. "So, mind telling me your name?" she asked.

The boy looked up slightly and smirked. "Mind telling me yours?" he countered.

Sora rolled her eyes. "I asked you first and it's rude for a guest to freeload without so much as a name to go by, you know."

The boy nodded. "Fair enough. It's Drew Hayden." He gave a cocky smirk and flipped his short green hair. "I'm surprised you didn't know me."

"Right… I knew, I just wanted to be sure that's all," Sora replied.

"Sure you did," Drew countered.

Sora glared at him. "Let's see, Drew Hayden. You're a top coordinator, most commonly known for your Roselia, and habit of flipping your bangs. You have more fan girls than I ever want to know and the emotional capacity of a pin."

Drew smirked again. "Yes, but you're still avoiding the question," he pointed out.

"Supper's ready!" Sora's mother shouted from the kitchen. Sora smirked and turned away without a word.

An awkward silence hung over the kitchen table as they ate the stew. Sora's mother cleared her throat to break the silence. "So, young man, you wouldn't happen to be…"

"Drew Hayden, yes, he is, Mom," Sora interrupted.

Her mother beamed across the table at Drew. "I thought so! We watch your contests all the time on TV. My daughter just adores you!" she said happily.

Sora nearly choked as she finished off the stew and stood from the table, giving an icy glare at Drew's cocky smirk. "No I don't, Mama. I adore his pokemon and how beautifully they perform. Contests are about the pokemon, not their cocky celebrity owners," she snapped before rinsing her bowl out in the sink and storming upstairs.

Drew finished the stew moments later. "Thank you for the delicious meal," he said before excusing himself from the table. He rinsed his bowl out as well before going up the stairs again. He peeked in an open room he suspected to be the girl's but she wasn't there. However, the window was open and he could faintly make out a figure running in the field. He peeked out the window and smirked. She had quite the intricate set up.

The window lowered about a foot onto part of the roof which ran all the way down to a very thick tree with a stump of a trunk and long thick branches spreading out towards the roof and hanging low over the grass. All one had to do was simply walk out the window to the tree and crawl down one of its long thick branches.

Sora stared up at the starry sky as most of the pokemon lay around her. The Glaceon came up and laid its head and paw across her stomach as it plopped down. Sora smiled and gently stroked her fur. The peacefulness was soon interrupted when she heard footsteps on the grass. She let out an exaggerated sigh. "What do you want Drew?" She asked without moving an inch.

"Nothing much. You still haven't answered the question," he sated as he sat down nearby.

Sora sighed. "You really are annoying. Too bad those ditsy fan-girls don't know how you really are."

"You're avoiding the question again."

Sora rolled her eyes and stood up. "Figure it out." She bent down to ruffle the Glaceon's head lovingly before walking away. "Night Drewby-boy!" she mocked.

_**That's about as much creativity as I got. You just don't see many DrewXOC pairings a lot so I thought it would be fun. Oh and I'm going to just mess with this story so much. You won't be expecting what I have in store later down the line. Muahaha! Let's just say the story's a DrewxOc but at the same time, it isn't, shall we?**_


	2. An Early Start

_**I'm so bursting with creativity! I don't know what to do with myself! XD So, I shall write! Muahaha!**_

_**DISCLAIMER:**__** Oh I can't believe I forgot to put this up last chapter… again! GAH! My OFFICIAL disclaimer! I do NOT… I repeat… DO NOT own pokemon, pokemon characters, etc. The only thing I am entitled to is Sora and this story… plot… piece of writing. Uh… yeah… OH! and partial ownership of my laptop… XD**_

Chapter 2: An Early Start 

She crept out of the room groggily, bright and early as usual. Sora glanced at the closed door of the guest room and opened it quietly. Drew was still asleep. She shook her head and got to work. Quickly and quietly she turned the fan on high to decrease the temperature before swiftly yanking the covers off the bed and dropping them to the floor. She smirked as she flickered the lights a few times before leaving it on and went back over to the bed to yank the pillow from under Drew's head. He stirred a little, but no dice.

Sora sighed and left for a moment to get the black marker, tape, and a piece of paper. She quickly wrote something down and taped it to his forehead before commencing with the doodling on the face. When he refused to wake up she gave up. "Oh well. He'll get up sooner or later," she mumbled with a chuckle before going downstairs for breakfast.

Moments later, the cold became unbearable and Drew shivered as he groped around for the blankets. Annoyed, he finally sat up and opened his eyes to find them. First he saw the blinding light and then the paper. "Drewby-boy, when you wake up, make sure you clean up and make the bed. Make sure you eat… there are chores to do," he muttered, reading the note. 'Chores? What chores?' He looked around the room and groaned as he saw the bedding all over the floor.

Sora began to wash off her plate and smiled as Drew came down the stairs. "Hey sleepy head, have a nice rest? There's still some breakfast left so hurry up and eat."

"What chores?" he asked groggily.

Sora chuckled. "Well, you can't just lie around like a lazy free-loader mister celebrity. While Roselia's resting, you're going to help with the work around here," she replied while tying the yellow apron around her waist. "Come down to the field when you're finished eating."

Sora carried the large bag of pokefood from the shed down to the field. "Wake up sleepy heads! Breakfast!" she yelled. The pokemon jumped to her side and pawed at her feet for the large bag of food. "Now, now, everyone will get some." She walked over to the large food dispenser in the barn and poured the food in and smiled as she watched the food flow to the row of food trays. As she walked out of the barn, she smiled as she saw Drew leaning against the wooden fence.

"So, what exactly do you want me to do?" he asked.

Sora smirked and brought out a large shovel. "The water pokemon would like a bigger pond. But first, I need you to pick up all the droppings so we can mow and water the field properly," she replied and pointed to a small pond.

"And, what will you be doing?" he asked bluntly.

"It's grooming day! I will be giving the pokemon their baths and, well, grooming them. Then their will be a break time before lunch and I'll go water the garden with vaporeon. Which reminds me, I'll give her a bath last so she can help you with the lake. Have fun!" she replied with a wink before going back into the barn. Drew let out an exasperated sigh.

..........

"So, what is this place anyways?" Drew suddenly asked as lay next to Sora in the field.

Sora sighed. "You can't tell? It's a Breeding Ranch. It's much nicer than most on the account of my parents, though. Mom was a top breeder in her day and Dad was quite the trainer. He still travels, but it's more to help the professors' research these days. Dad said he was even offered to be an elite once, but he refused. He never told me why, though."

"Hm, so you've been around pokemon your whole life then? Learning breeding techniques and helping to take care of this place…" Drew stated.

Sora nodded. "Yes, for the most part. It can be hard work but we have efficient equipment and I love it all."

"So, was that Glaceon your first pokemon?" Drew asked curiously.

I looked down at the oddly pigmented Glaceon laying across my stomach and smiled. "Yep. Mom says I have the Shiny Touch. I helped her decide the breeding that time and I was the one who watched over Eevee's egg. It just hatched one night while I was laying out here humming and it came out pale and silvery. I was the first person she saw," I replied lovingly.

"What about that Umbreon?" Drew asked pointing to the nearby pokemon, staring intently at us with golden eyes.

Sora chuckled. "Well, after Glaceon came Vaporeon and so on. I really enjoyed breeding Eevee so I somewhat became a collector of it and it's evolutions. Leafeon, however, just sort of stumbled in one time and has been here since. As for Umbreon, well, Glaceon's it's mama. He was born about a year or two ago and he's very protective of us actually. That's probably why he's glaring at you," she replied. "Those were the only two, though. Not a single egg since has had the Shiny Touch. But, I talked to Professor Birch about it and he said it's very rare, no matter how skilled a breeder is. So I'm very fortunate to have them." I started to laugh. "I'm sorry, I'm just rambling again."

"So what about you and Roselia?" I asked, sitting up on my arm.

He shrugged. "There's not much to say." I started to say something back but Mom started yelling from the front porch that lunch was ready and I instantly got up to go.

"You have so much property, why not have a Rapidash to travel around faster?" Drew suddenly asked before taking a bite of the sandwich.

Sora laughed. "Actually, we do have one; fast little devil too. But, her hoof got caught not too long ago so we had to take her down to the Pokecenter so Nurse Joy can have a look. Until she's better, we'll just have to walk."

"Oh, Drew that reminds me. Roselia is perfectly fine now so you can leave when ever you like," Mom cut in.

"That's wonderful, thanks," he simply replied.

"Oh, Drew, before you leave, could you help me with one more thing today?" Sora asked. Drew scowled at her but nodded. "I have to update the pokemon log and release the water pokemon into the new lake. I was wondering if you would take Vaporeon and water the garden out front. You can take Roselia, too. I think she would enjoy all the flowers," she replied with a light smile. "Anyways, I better get to the barn and take care of business. Good luck with the rest of your journey and coordinating."

Sora whipped her brow as she finished penciling in the updates for the log. None of the incubating eggs looked close to hatching yet so she didn't have to worry about that. Now, for the water pokemon. She went to the pokeball storage and went to the water pokemon. She quickly shrank the balls and placed them in her apron pocket and went out side. "Ok everyone! Come on out!" she yelled, tossing all the balls into the air in front of the new large lake. They seemed delighted as they stretched out in the new water. Sora looked out at the already setting sun and sighed.

"Glaceon, did Vaporeon ever come back from the garden?" she asked. The look on the Glaceon's face told her everything she needed to know. "Huh, that's odd… We better go check on things," she replied as she led Glaceon to the garden.

"You still here?" Sora asked as she approached the garden. Drew sat on the fence just staring at the garden with Vaporeon and Roselia down by his feet. He nodded absently. Sora just shook her head. "I figured you would have already left by now. Well, come on, it's getting late. Mom will make you some dinner and if you want, you can stay the night again," she said before turning to the house. Vaporeon obediently followed.

"Oh, wait Sora," her mother said as Sora was heading up the stairs after dinner. "Can we talk for a moment?"

Sora nodded and went to sit on the couch. "Sure, Mom. What's up?" she asked.

"Sweetheart, you're already thirteen. Most kids are already starting their journey with their pokemon at ten and eleven. I don't want taking care of the pokemon here stop you from having that experience."

"No Mom, it's fine. I love it here. Besides, I can't leave you alone," Sora started.

Her mom cut her off. "Oh honestly, I can take care of myself. Besides, I won't be alone. We have hundreds of pokemon here to keep me plenty of company. I even talked to your father today. He thinks starting a journey is just what you need. He even said that he's going to start being home more anyways."

"But Mom…"

"No buts! This is your chance to get out and make friends, make memories! You need to live life while you still can. Now, decide what pokemon you want to bring, ok?" she said giving her a kiss on the head.

Sora nodded and slowly walked back outside to the barn to retrieve the log book. Although she was a little hurt and disappointed about leaving, she was actually very excited to finally go on her journey.

"Now let's see… I'll definitely be bringing Glaceon and Umbreon, but who else?" Sora muttered as she flipped through the log book pages. She needed a well balanced team, but at the same time she needed pokemon that were fairly grown and well rounded stats.

. . . . .

"Sora? Sora, wake up!" her mother said gently. "You fell asleep out here in the barn, silly."

Sora rubbed her eyes with a yawn. "Did I? I was just deciding who all I wanted to bring."

"Oh? And did you decide?" her mother asked.

Sora nodded. "Yes… Hey what time is it?"

"It's only six. Hurry up and get your pokemon and get changed. Breakfast will be ready in a bit," her mother replied before leaving.

Sora quickly grabbed the pokeballs in the storage room and went out to the field to return them before running to the house. Her mother laughed at her unruly state. "There you are! You certainly took your time out in that field. Sit and eat before you go change."

Sora did as told. "Has Drew left yet?" she asked before taking a bite of toast.

Her mom shook her head. "No, he said he would leave after breakfast," she replied just as he walked into the kitchen.

Sora quickly scarfed down her breakfast. "Thanks, Momma!" she yelled as she raced up the stares.

She gently put some clothes, a knife, comb, and her bath items in the small black rucksack before changing. She smiled at her reflection in the mirror. She wore black, laced knee high top sneakers with blue and white stockings, tight black shorts and a pale blue dress with black striped patterns along with her black choker, arm sleeves, black fingerless gloves, and two metal bracelets. She fastened the shrunken pokeballs to the silver belt and walked downstairs.

Her mother smiled as she came down. "All set?"

Sora nodded. "Are you sure it's ok?" she asked again.

"Yes! I'll be fine. Now if you hurry you could catch up to that Drew. I'd feel much better knowing you were traveling with someone," she replied with an odd, unreadable smile.

"Okay, I love you!" she replied giving her mother a quick peck on the cheek before rushing out the door.

It felt so good to be free and running, Sora didn't even realize she had passed Drew. "Hey! What are you doing!?" he yelled which brought Sora back to her senses and halted to a stop.

She just laughed. "Sorry! I suppose I got carried away! Hurry up slowpoke!" she yelled before running off again. At some point she had simply stopped and stared off into space with a sudden realization.

"Now what are you doing?" Drew asked annoyed, once he had caught up with her.

She turned to him and shrugged. "I think I need a pokedex, don't I?" she suddenly asked.

Drew sighed. "You just thought of that now?"

Sora ignored him. "Do you have a map? I need to see how far away the Professor's research center is."

Drew gave up and just handed her a pocket map. She looked it over fiercely before handing him the map. "Well it's a good thing we don't live too far away! Let's go!" she said running off again.

Drew shook his head. "She's a weird one. Huh, and I thought May could be annoying sometimes. But she's just random," he muttered.

_**Meh, that's all I got… not really. XD I have more to write but I have chores and homework to do and I didn't want to make the chapter too long.**_


	3. Rising Tensions

_**Meh, can't sleep… have had inspiration for this chapter this whole bloody long week…. Can't wait for summer… ugh… -_- I think this story still has that new story zest to it so maybe that's why I'm so inspired? o.0 Hm… don't know… ANYWAYS! I'm babbling again so just go on and read! Yep… ignore me…**_

_**Review Responses:**__** Thank you Kankananime123 for your review in case you have not read my reply sent via e-mail…**_

_WOOOH! The first Reviewer! For your prize... I will take that request! XD We have to remember that Drew and Sora are thirteen in the fiction which is a good year or two since he traveled with May, etc. Muahaha!! Plot was formed the moment I had put my final sentence on chapter two. So yes, there shall be a love triangle-ish thing. But if you really think the story is cute now, well, it gets better next chapter. ;P_

Chapter 3: Rising Tensions

"Thank you for the pokedex Professor! Oh and thanks for the maps and guide books too! BYE!" Sora called as she left the lab. "Well, now that that's over with… Now let's see… the nearest town is… hm… well, damn! I can't bloody read this thing…" Sora complained as she continued on her aimless path.

After about an hour of walking in confusion, Sora just plopped on the grass exhaustedly with her over her face. "UGH! I hate this! Maybe I should have stayed home… mom knew I had a bad sense of direction… Stupid Drew… just ditching me like that…" she muttered irritatingly.

"Are you going to lie there all day? You'll never win in a pokemon contest like that you know," said a familiar smug voice.

"DREW!" Sore sheered jumping up and tackling him with a hug. "You've come to save me!" She shouted before shoving the map in his face. "I'm so lost! I can't read this thing to save my life! Look at me! I'm wasting away!" she overdramatized and slowly spun around to show how thin she was. "Do you know how to read a map? Or even better, have some food on you?!" she questioned excitedly.

Drew sighed and flipped his bangs, not sure where to begin. "Well, for starters, any buffoon can read a map, although you shouldn't need one to navigate this area in the first place. And no, I don't have any food. And I seriously doubt you'll waste away if you go without for a few hours," he stated coldly.

Sora puffed out her cheeks in a pout. "I have bad sense of direction! It's not my fault! And that map is confusing! But if you're not going to help… then I'll just… ask those Beedril right over there!" she replied skipping a little towards the pokemon.

Drew grabbed her shoulder to keep her there. "You idiot, those are wild Beedril and they'd kill you dead if you take another step. Such a pain in the ass," he mumbled with a sigh. "Come on, we better get going since you don't seem to be leaving me alone and are obviously a helpless case."

"I am not! I just can't navigate! I know perfectly well not to bother Beedril. Maybe I just wanted to see if you're really as cold as you seem? Hm?" Sora prodded. No response and she was forced to walk in silence.

"So, what you really think I should do pokemon contests?" she asked after some time.

"Is there a point to that question or do you just want to talk again?" Drew asked darkly.

"Earlier, when I was lying on the grass: You said I'd never win a pokemon contest like that. You really think I could do contests?" Sora questioned.

"Maybe…" was all he muttered. "Why?"

"I haven't decided yet, that's all," she replied.

"You haven't decided what?"

"Whether to do contests or gym battles," she replied simply.

"Then do both," Drew replied, quickly growing bored of the conversation.

"I thought about that, too. I don't know. Well, what made you want to do contests?" Sora asked. Drew just sort of shrugged. Sora sighed. "Honestly, you're no help at all."

"So, when are you going to answer _my_ question?" he asked.

"I already told you to figure it out. It really isn't that hard to figure out when you really think about it. I'll give you a hint. My name is as simple and pretty as it's meaning!"

"You do realize that could be just about anything?" Drew stated.

Sora laughed and skipped with a bit of a twirl in front of him and stuck her tongue out at him. She stopped her playful badgering a moment later. "Oh, do you smell that?" No reply. "Mmm… that's food right there. But it's a collective mix of all kinds of different food! I bet there's a town up ahead! Come on slowpoke!" she yelled excitedly, grabbing his hand, and dragging him with her as she ran.

Drew waited impatiently in the pokecenter cafeteria. "Are you finished yet?"

Sora glared at him. "No, I have a few bites of my stew left. Food is delicious and I don't plan on wasting it nor do I plan or staying a twig forever." She looked him up and down real quick. "It probably wouldn't kill you to eat more either. Honestly, it's a little unnerving when the girl eats more than the boy…"

"So have you decided what you will do yet?" Drew asked again.

"Are you sure I'm the one who talks all the time? You often bring up conversations too you know…" Drew just dully stared back. "Actually, I have. As much as I would love to battle, it just sounds dull and time constraining. I think I'll do contests. It's almost like battling but more creative and fun. I'll just do battles some other year or something…" she replied before slurping the rest of the stew. "Anyways, you make sure we have rooms for the night, I'll go see if Nurse Joy wants help in the kitchen or something," Sora stated before walking off with her dishes.

"Here's you key," Nurse Joy said handing me the card key. "Thank you so much for helping out this evening. Would you like me to give your pokemon a check up?" she asked politely. Sora just shook her head no thank you. "Very well, have a good night," Nurse Joy said happily as Sora treaded up the stairs.

It wasn't until Sora opened the room door that she realized how nice it was. The room was practically a suite. The room was large enough for the two queen sized beads and more and had a divider between the sections. Sora had to keep herself from whistling as she crept passed the sleeping Drew to her side of the room.

She quickly and silently changed into her pajama shorts and tank before releasing her Umbreon and Glaceon from their pokeballs. She gave them both loving pats on the head before climbing into the comfortable bed. Umbreon settled himself at my feet while Glaceon cuddled in next to her. Sora chuckled softly before drifting off to sleep.

When Drew awoke, he checked the time before groggily getting out of bed. He peeked around the divider to check on the girl. She was sound asleep with two of her pokemon. He shook his head remembering her come in last night and decided to retreat as a sleepy Umbreon gave him a glare between one half open eye-lid. Troublesome girl. How did he end up in this situation? She was almost as bad as when he traveled with May last year. His face felt a little warm as he brought back old memories but quickly shook them away before going into the bathroom to clean up.

Oddly enough, the sound of the shower running was what woke Sora up. However, she was still half-asleep and, feeling the need to use the bathroom, went straight ahead. Her pokemon merely watched her go without an ounce of effort to stop her, obviously too tired to care themselves.

Not hearing the toilet, Drew finished his shower and reeled back the curtain only to find a half naked Sora sitting down two feet in front of him. Sora merely stared back for a moment then glanced down at herself before fully awaking and realizing what was happening. "WELL DON'T LOOK!" she screamed as she instinctively grabbed the hand soap at the edge of the sink and flung it at Drew causing him to fall back into the shower behind the curtains. Sora quickly finished and ran out of the bathroom in a state of panic as she leaned on the bathroom door for support.

Drew opened the door a crack and felt her against the door. "Uh, you mind handing me a towel?" he asked. Sora quickly got up and grabbed one then slammed it in his face. "Um, I'm sorry about that. I didn't realize you were in there," he started.

Still irritated, Sora pushed against the door causing it to slam in his face before walking to her bag to change. Her hands were a little shaky as she handled the clothes and took in a deep breath. She was going to make sure they had separate rooms (or at least separate bathrooms) from now on.

"Is it to safe to come out now?!" Drew shouted from the bathroom. Although his tone was more joking, there was still seriousness in it.

Realizing she was still topless, Sora jumped into her bed and drew up the covers around her. Ugh, why was the bathroom door on her side of the room?

Drew came out with a towel around his waste and a much smaller towel draped around his shoulders. He only glanced at Sora and the menacingly glare her Umbreon gave before hurrying to his side of the divider.

Sora quickly finished dressing and returned her pokemon. "I'll be at the buffet if you need me!" she shouted before rushing out the door for breakfast.

Half way through shoveling her waffles down, Drew walks in wait a meager plate of breakfast. "It's 'bout time you got down here. So, where we off to next?"

Drew brought out a pocket sized map and pointed. "We're here in Oldale Town, ok? If you want to do gym battles, now is the time to do it because over here in Petalburg City, there's a gym. However, our directed course is actually in the opposite direction over here to Slateport City. There will be a contest held there in two weeks. Now, if we were to go to Petalburg for a gym battle, we could continue passed the city and try and catch a boat ride back over to Slateport. That trip wouldn't take more than week and shouldn't be longer than a day or two if we were to go straight to Slateport," he slowly explained.

Sora finished her waffle and dully stared at Drew. "Why are you being so generous? For all I know, you'll just dump my ass off at the gym and go right on your merry way." He dully stared back. "Hm, maybe you do have a heart."

Drew sighed. "Why do you have this impression that I'm heartless?"

Sora shrugged. "Hm, don't know. I guess it goes with the whole celebrity exterior and the way you make your fan girls swoon with that annoying little bang sweep and the way you act so smug because you think your so cool just because you win some contests and… and… well, hell, the list goes on forever," she finished shoving her last piece of bacon in her mouth before taking the dirty dishes to the kitchen in the back.

"So are you coming or not, Drewby?" Sora mocked. "We have two weeks to get to Slateport right? Well, I already said I'd pass on the gyms and besides, I want to get their early so I have time to work with my pokemon," she said with a smirk. "So it's time to get walking! Because whether I think highly of you or not, I still need someone to navigate and you, sir, need someone to keep that ego in check."

. . . . .

"We'll camp here for the night," Drew stated after they had crossed the lake.

Sora flung out her sleeping bag and small pillow and plopped down exhaustedly. She inched over and grabbed her bag and changed into her shorts and tank inside the bag before going to sleep.

Drew admired the clouds and starry design of the girl's sleeping bag and went back to contemplating what her name could be until he fell asleep.

. . . . .

For once, Sora woke up early on her own accord and decided to make breakfast. After some digging, she found the travel sized cookware and the food supplies she had bought in Oldale. She quickly started the fire and got to work on a quick and light breakfast.

"Ah, there you are grass head. I was wondering when you would wake up," Sora said happily as she began to poor the breakfast into bowls. She set one in front of him. "Eat up, we have a lot of walking to do today."

Drew stared at the slop. "What is it?"

"Mostly berries and some rice. It's good. Nice and light but will keep you energetic!" Sora stated before slurping down the bowl.

Drew had to admit that once he stopped looking at it, the food was pretty good. This girl will never go gourmet but at least she can make a decent meal with what she has to cook with. "So, I've given up on what your name is so I'm just going to call you It from now on," Drew replied dully.

"Whatever you say grass head," Sora said with a chuckle before finishing off the breakfast. She went to the edge of the water to clean the dishes off real quick and then packed her things. "Shall we be off?" she said waiting for him to lead the way.

"So…this be Slateport, huh?" Sora said in awe. "I'm so going shopping tomorrow. I haven't been swimming at a beach in soooo long!" she chimed.

"We're here for the contest not vacation," Drew scolded.

"Oh liven up! You can't just travel and work all the time. You have to cut loose and have some fun from time to time. And nothing says fun, like the beach and the sun!" Sora cheered, purposely rhyming to push Drew's buttons. "Well, off to the rooms. Thank you again Nurse Joy!" she replied as she headed up the stairs.

Sora released Glaceon and Umbreon from their pokeballs as soon as she had changed and peeked around the corner of the room divider and grinned. "Night Drew! Don't let the Caterpie bite!" she added with a chuckle before plopping onto the bed. This would definitely be an interesting week and Sora couldn't wait. In fact, she could squeal in excitement. But she kept it in check and eventually drifted back off into sleep.

_**Ok… now I'm tired… I should probably get to bed now. Cheers! And… yeah… and all that jazz and what nots. **_


	4. The Storm

_**(Cries) I'm so sorry I haven't updated! I had finals and I've spent the first week of summer moving and it's just been blah! We had to get rid of mah kitteh! ;0; Yeah, yeah, I know… it's no excuse. Ugh! I went back and read the last chapter to refind my place and there were soooo many mistakes! Anyways, on to ze chapter!!**_

_**Review Responses:**__** Thank you kankananime123 for once again reviewing. You gets a cookie! **_

XD... krabby... True but in all retrospects... that's pretty much his character. XP YES! Umbreon hates Drew! MUAHAHA! I have to add conflict... it's my nature. XP I shall! I promise... it just might not be till this weekend though. D:

Chapter 4: The Storm 

"RISE AND SHINE!" Sora cheered as she pulled back the curtains. "You've just been sleeping the day away! I already had breakfast and went shopping and everything! You're going to miss out on training Drewby-boy!" she continued to antagonize before jumping on the edge of the bed.

Drew groaned and glared at her. "Fine, I'm up. What time is it?" he asked annoyed.

Sora sat back and looked at the clock. "Uh… passed noon. So, I know you probably want to train, but personally, I think part of truly training, is to liven up and relax once in a while. I mean both you and your pokemon are going to get extremely stressed if you're so serious all the time. So can we pleeeeaaase go to the beach today? I here they have delicious lemonade!" she pleaded.

Drew sighed. "Fine, but just this once. I don't want you to get all trippy over all the tourist spots along the way to other contests."

Sora pouted. "Aw, but Lavaridge town has such amazing hot springs! That would be perfect for keeping the pokemon healthy and gorgeous for contests!" Sora protested.

Drew sighed. "We most likely won't be stopping in Lavaridge town, anyways. Now stop your whining and get ready already. You should be glad I'm even permitting we go to the beach today."

Sora snorted in her attempt to stop from laughing. "I'm sorry but permitting? I wasn't really getting your permission, I was seeing if you would come, too. The beach isn't as fun by myself," she stated before going to the opposite side of the room and digging through a shopping bag. "Hm… should I do the blue or the black one… one or two… hm…" Sora mumbled. "Hey Drew, what do you think?" she asked holding up four pairs of swimsuits.

Drew rolled his eyes. "Just pick one," he stated boredly.

Sora pouted but gave in and went to the bathroom to change. "Ok, now what do you think?" she asked when she came out. She did a little twirl to show off the black bikini with blue, purple, and white designs consisting of stripes rings and pola-dots.

Drew was sitting on the bed in a pair of black and purple trunks and shrugged. "You look fine to me," he muttered before getting up and turning away.

Sora huffed out a sigh but followed out the door. "Stupid boys. Never can get a decent response out of 'em," she muttered down to the beach. "OK! Come on out everyone!" She called as she flung the poke-balls. Vaporeon, Jolteon, Flareon, Umbreon, Glaceon, and Leafeon all appeared happily. "Ok, Flareon I know you don't like the water very much so you try to stay dry ok? Let's go everybody," she said happily as she raced down to the ocean waves.

Vaporeon sprayed her with a water gun and with a squeal she tripped and fell into the waves. "THAT WAS COLD! Not nice vaporeon!" Sora squealed, splashing at her pokemon. Thus, began the chasing and splashing war.

Drew sat on the beach towel shaking his head as he watched her and her pokemon make a spectacle of himself. If he glanced to the side he could already see the girls flocking at a distance, whispering and giggling to their friends. He smirked and flicked his bangs. Flareon yawned and stretched out next to him before looking at him between half lidded eyes as if studying him. With a sigh he scratched behind her ears gently real quick, hoping to avert her attention away a little.

"Ok, I give up, what are you doing?" Drew asked about an hour after Sora had suddenly stopped and sat down in the sand.

Sora looked up and smiled at him. "Building a sand-castle with my pokemon. It's about time you got off your butt over there. You wanna help?"

With a sigh Drew sat down. "Fine, what do you want me to do?"

Sora smirked and pushed him really hard. "GET HIM!" she yelled as her pokemon started digging sand onto him.

Drew scowled up towards the sky. "Now you've buried me in the sand. Honestly, are you always such a child?" he complained grumpily.

Sora laughed and sat on him. "Yes, Mr. Sandman, I sure am. I have plenty of time to grow up and be serious. You need to learn how to be a kid. Now, why are you so grumpy I wonder?" she prodded. He glanced away and she frowned. "There you are flareon. Would you keep a steady ember on this nice toasty sand, please? I'm sure Drew would like to stay extra warm," she cooed.

Drew sighed. "Ugh, you're such a pain in the ass. What do you want? You helped my Roselia, thanks. But why do you insist on pestering me you stupid little girl!?" he snapped.

Sora scowled and stood up. "You know what? You need to lighten up. I'll see you back at the pokecenter if you ever get yourself out of there. DIG!" she ordered all of her pokemon before leaving Drew under an evern large pile of sand.

Sora stared at the tree in front of her while her pokemon stared at her expectantly. She said she would go to the pokemon center but she just couldn't stay cooped up. Instead she went just outside of town to train her pokemon. Still, she couldn't get over the fact that he called her a stupid little girl! "UGH! HE'S SUCH A JERK!!" she yelled throwing a rock at the tree, surprising her pokemon in the process. Sora looked down at them with a soft smile. "I'm sorry. I'm just so stressed. Let's see… what to do for the pokemon contest…" she pondered. As creative as she was, she just couldn't think of anything. How would she use her pokemon's moves to compliment them? I thought over all the moves each one had and what different combinations they could do… but what? A few drops of rain hit my head and I looked up just as it slowly started to rain. Wait! I know what I could do!

"Flareon return!" I ordered before smiling at my glaceon. "Oh glaceon, ready to do some special training?" I asked.

I let out a sigh as the cold rain soaked me to the bone. "Good job glaceon. We'll just work on your timing tomorrow ok, girl?" she chimed in happily as I stroked the back of her ear. "Return!" I wiped my forehead with the back of my hand. "It's getting late. I should probably head back to town and see if Drew ever made it back to the pokecenter.

"Hey, you!" some girl in front of me said menacingly while pointing at me.

I looked around and pointed to myself with an innocent expression. "You mean me?" I asked sweetly.

"Don't play dumb! Who else would we be talking to?" the two girls beside her snickered.

I smiled. "Well we're having such lovely weather this evening. You may be talking to yourself or a pokemon that may have just gone by. Maybe even the sky," I replied. I took a moment to study them. The obvious leader in the middle had medium black hair in a high ponytail that made her hair stand on end a little. Her bangs lay straight yet choppy and nearly covered her eyes. The girl on the left had curly blonde hair that went jus passed her shoulders and her long bangs were pulled back with a clip. The girl on the right had short red hair style almost like a bowl shape but it was straighter and became slightly longer as it went from the back to the front. As for their clothes, well they were pretty plain; frilly tops and a skirt or a pair of capris. In fact, these girls were overall plain. My guess is they were just stuck up girly wannabes or something or another.

"Haha! Very funny smarty pants! We saw how you treated our Drew today! You're so going to pay!" The three girls let out their pokemon consisting of a Bellosom, a Marill, and a Magby.

Smarty pants? Really? My amused expression turned into a scowl as I took out a pokeball. "Bad move, ladies. I'm not exactly in the most patient of moods today! Jolteon! You're Up!"

"Bellosom, razor leaf!"

"Marill, use bubblebeam!"

"Use ember, Magby!"

I smirked. Too easy. "Jolteon, dodge! Use signal beam on bellosom and follow it up with discharge!" I commanded. Jolteon quickly jumped out of the way of the three attacks and aimed a beam at bellosom. It quickly jumped again and shot out a wave of electricity that hit both maril and the magby.

"Oh no!" they squealed as they rushed over to their fainted pokemon.

"Jolteon, return," I said simply. I walked over to them. They looked up at me frightened. "First of all, being fangirls of some egotistical jerk celebrity is not only pathetic but a sad waste of time and effort. Secondly, if you're going to do something so stupid as challenge someone, especially for such an idiotic reason, make sure you have decently strong pokemon." I walked away. "Pft, stupid fangirls," I muttered to myself.

"It's about time you showed up," came a cold voice as I entered the room.

I glared at him. "Sorry, I had to take out the trash. By the way, you still have mud in your hair," I replied in a flat tone.

Drew scowled. "I hope you aren't scared of thunderstorms because it's going to come down hard tonight," he replied as he walked towards the bathroom.

I gave a cold smirk. "Don't worry. I love them," I replied coldly before going to my side of the room. I let out Umbreon and an exhausted Glaceon before changing and sliding onto the bed. I propped a pillow against the headboard for me to lean against and stared out the window as the lightning and thunder began. Umbreon stayed protectively at my feet as Glaceon curled up next to me. I smiled and slowly petted her as I listened to the storm. A single tear rolled down my cheek……

"_Ooooh! You better get inside or Mommy's going to be mad at you!" the young girl yelled from the door way._

_The older boy grinned and went up the front porch steps. "No she's not! It's just a little rain! You're not afraid of a storm are you?!" he teased._

_The girl puffed out her cheeks and pouted. "NO! ONLY BABIES ARE AFRAID OF A STORM!" she yelled before stomping inside. The boy laughed and closed the door beside him as he went inside. _

"_It's about time! I thought you'd never finish putting those pokemon away. Look at you! You're soaking wet. Last thing I need is for you to get hit with lightning!" a woman scolded. "And really, I wish you'd stop giving your sister crap about the storm. It's perfectly fine if she's afraid," she finished before leaving the room._

"_Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's just a little rain, mom," he replied as she left. A blinding flash of light engulfed the house cutting out the power. You could faintly hear a girl scream just before a loud blast of thunder. The boy ran up the stairs. "SIS?! YOU OK?!" he yelled as he entered the room. The girl was hunched over on her bed, crying while trying to cover her ears. "Sis? Are you sure you're not scared?" he asked as he sat next to her._

"_NO! I'm not scared at all!" she yelled just as another loud blast of thunder erupted. She squeeked and flung into her brother's arms, clinging to his shirt. _

_He put his arms around her and held her close. "Sh, it's ok. It's just a little storm. It won't hurt you."_

_The girl sniffed. "Haruki?" she asked just above a whisper._

"_Hm?" he asked._

"_Please don't go."_

_He smiled sadly and rested his chin on the top of his head. "I won't. I won't ever leave you. I promise, Sora."_

_***sniff* Oh my god! That last scene even made ME cry! And I'm the author! Ok, ok, ok, in case you couldn't tell the italic font usually represents either a dream or a flashback. And I strongly suggest looking up the meaning to Haruki's name if you don't already know it because it puts a whole lot more meaning into that last scene there. Again, I'm sorry it took so long to update! Everyone gets cookies for waiting so long! I promise I'll update soon!**_


	5. Rainy Days

_**Wow, you must all hate me right now. It's been, what, like a year since I've updated ANYTHING? I'm really sorry everyone. I wish there was a way I could make it up to you all. I guess I got caught up in life and stuck on little things in my stories. At this point I kind of forgot where I was going with most of them so I'm pretty much redoing the plot. Anyways, I love you all and enjoy this chapter. Oh yeah, so I also noticed that last chapter I switched to first person about half way through. xP I'm totally sorry about that. That's out of habit since most of the stuff I write is first person. I'll go and fix the previous chapters sometime soon.**_

Chapter 5: Rainy Days 

Sora woke up late, feeling sore and drained. It just felt like one of those days where you didn't want to do a thing but stay in bed. She stretched a little and sighed. She had no idea when she fell asleep last night. She just knew she cried herself to sleep and now her eyes were puffy and bloodshot because of it. She groaned. She just felt like total crap. She heard a grunt from the desk over by the window and scowled.

"It's about time you woke up. And you criticize ME for over sleeping."

Sora rolled her eyes and turned back towards the wall. "Oh I'm so sorry your majesty. God forbid I do anything to inconvenience you," she replied in a cracked, raspy voice.

Drew looked up from his reading. "Are you ok?"

"What do you care? What are you still doing here with me anyways? Why don't you just go train your pokemon or flirt with all your damn fan girls or something?" Ok, maybe it was being a little unfair but she was still pissed at him and honestly didn't care how much of a brat she acted right this minute.

Drew stiffened. "Well, for one, I was just being polite; two, I have to stay here until the contest; and three, it's raining so even if I did want to do either of those suggestions, I couldn't," he replied coldly.

She sighed. "Drew, how about you do me a favor and just leave me alone. In fact why don't," she was cut off by a sudden coughing fit. Sora groaned and leaned further into the pillows.

Drew sighed and stood up to check on her against his better judgment. Umbreon growled as he approached the bed but made no move to attack. He placed his hand over Sora's forehead and sighed. "Your heads warm. How long were you out in the rain yesterday?"

"It doesn't matter I'm fine! I just had to train and then some stupid girls ganged up on me so I was out a little late," Sora muttered.

Drew scowled. "No, you have a cold and you're burning up. You're so troublesome. You shouldn't have been out training for that long in the rain and picking fights with people."

She glared up at him. "I didn't pick a fight. THEY did. And if I ever see them look at me the wrong way again, they'll get more than a little shocked," she replied darkly.

Only then did Drew see her puffy, bloodshot, sleep-deprived eyes, her unusually pale skin, and slightly flushed cheeks and the anger and even a little fear that filled her pale blue-green eyes. The look on her face clearly showed that she blamed him. He looked away, not wanting to admit that he was in the wrong. "I'll go get you some soup or something," he muttered, walking away.

Sora sighed. "Drew?" He stopped and looked at her. She reached out to her belt and opened the pokeballs. "Make sure you feed them, too," she replied with a half-hearted hand motion. She patted Glaceon's head before she left followed by a reluctant Umbreon.

Sora listened quietly, after he had gone, to the pounding rain outside. Rain was ok. Rain was soothing and let loose her emotions for her. It was just the storm she couldn't take.

. . . . .

Sora felt uncomfortably warm when she woke up again. She felt stiff and heavy too as if she could barely move. As she began to awake more clearly she realized there was a large amount of weight on top of her and the warmth suddenly became unbearable as a feeling of being trapped and panic sunk in. She wiggled furiously to free herself from the blankets and weight to no avail.

"Settle down or you'll make yourself sicker." She instantly froze to his voice.

"I'm too warm. What's on top of me?" she croaked out.

Drew sighed. "All of your pokemon. They were feeling restless and didn't want to go back into their balls."

She groaned and tried to kick again. "Alright all of you get off me!" A big lurch against her body as the pokemon jumped off left her breathless for a moment.

"Are you awake enough to eat your soup?" Drew asked.

Sora rolled over on her side to face him and the group of pokemon with a sigh. "I'm not hungry," she mumbled.

"I didn't ask if you were hungry. Now eat or you'll stay sick and gross," he replied.

She sat up and glared at him, snatching the bowl of soup towards her. "Fine. I'll eat the stupid soup grass-headed jerk," she mumbled.

He smirked. "So, who's Haruki?"

Sora stiffened and almost choked on the soup. "Excuse me?"

"You know, you mumble in your sleep when you're sick and you kept saying Haruki."

She glared at him and clenched the bowl tightly until her knuckles were ghostly white. "Whatever I dream about or mumble in my sleep is none of your business Drew."

His emerald eyes stared back at her as if studying her reaction. After a moment he nodded and returned to the book he was reading at the nearby desk. "Just eat you soup."

. . . . .

Sora let out a sigh as the rain relentlessly pounded on the window. "Drew!" she whined. He looked up at her. "Can we please play a game or something? I'm so bored! All I've done is eat and sleep and bathe for almost a week. I feel like a Slakoth!" she complained.

"No. You need to rest," he replied simply.

She puffed out her cheeks and pursed her lips in a pout while scowling back at him. "It's been almost a week. I don't have a fever or anything," she mumbled.

Drew sighed. "Making your face look like a Qwilfish will not win me over," he replied without looking up from his book.

She sighed again and dropped the pout. "Fine. What are you reading, Drewby?" she asked cutely.

"Changing tactics will not do you any favors either. But if you must know, it's a log of top Coordinators in the last decade," he said boredly.

Sora looked blankly back at him. "You are so boring. Why are you reading something like that?"

Drew looked up at her for a moment before returning to the book. "I'm reviewing techniques to become a better Coordinator."

Her face fell and she lowered her gaze a little ashamed. "Oh," she mumbled lamely. She glanced back up at him. "Are you in it?" she asked curiously. He merely shrugged in response. "Well can I look then?" she asked holding out her hand. Drew let out an exasperated sigh and handed the book over to her. She skimmed through the pages until stopping at more recent pages. She looked down at a more worn page with a picture of a girl with short, messy, light brown hair and deep blue eyes. She looked up at Drew and pointed to it. "Who's that?"

Drew stared back in disbelief and slight annoyance. "Well her name is May. Why?"

Sora shrugged. "The page is more worn than the others. I thought you might have known her or something. She kind of looks familiar."

Drew took the book back from her hands. "You really don't recognize her?"

Sora shook her head and stifled a yawn. "Nope. Working at home, I didn't watch a lot of television so I'm actually not familiar with a lot of the top Trainers and Coordinators anymore." Drew chuckled. "What? Don't laugh at me. Mom's the one who's big on watching contests on TV, not me."

Drew shook his head with a smirk and went back to reading the book. "Nevermind. You're just weird, you know that?" She stuck her tongue out at him and curled back under the covers of the bed.

_**Ugh. I feel so full of inspiration but absolutely no creativity is coming out. Seriously, this chapter felt almost painful to write. xP And Drew sounds a bit out of character to me. I don't know. I'm not used to him being kind and sensitive, maybe. It's been a few years so we'll just say he matured since you saw him on tv. Ok? OKAY. I'll update soon. Promise. **_


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